Lemon Pie Smile
by Ember Mage
Summary: A sweet lemon pie to match the sweet smile of a girl he adored. Shinichi x Ran.


**Disclaimer:** No property of _Detective Conan_ belongs to me. All characters are copyright to Aoyama Gosho.

* * *

Before I would like to start, I'm giving you a background idea, or sort of a reference to refer to. **Please read this if you would like to know more about the lemon pie reference.**

The lemon pie is very important because something that happened in the past. In vol. 18, a woman about 2 years older than Ran named Asami taught her how to make a lemon pie for some reason. At the end, where they find out who tried to murder Asami, Asami tells Ran that one she made a lemon pie for her friends and the soccer team when Ran was in 7th grade, and only Shinichi said it tasted awful. (Remember that in 7th grade, Shinichi hasn't quit soccer yet.) 

So, Asami discovered that everyone only said it was delicious because they didn't want to hurt her feelings and only Shinichi was being honest about the dessert. She made a lemon pie every day until Shinichi said it tasted good. By then she had no idea she became the soccer coach, and that she was unaware that she was being attracted to Shinichi. Asami then told Shinichi her feelings for him at the end of the day, but Shinichi rejected her because he said that there was already someone else he liked. (You can all guess who that was.) 

She was very mortified. No one had rejected her before, especially when a lot of boys like her. (Asami was one of the prettiest and perfect girls in school.) So Asami spread a rumor that a 7th grader was stalking a 9th grader to hide her embarrassment. Asami told Ran that she taught Ran how to make a lemon pie to embarrass her, and Ran made a delicious lemon pie on her first try.

* * *

I'm also using the Japanese version. To avoid confusion, here are their names. Japanese names have their family name listed first.

Edogawa Conan - Conan Edogawa  
Kudo Shinichi - Jimmy Kudo  
Mouri Ran - Rachel Moore  
Mouri Kogoro - Richard Moore  
Megure Juzou - Inspector Meguire  
Suzuki Sonoko - Serena Sebastian  
Hattori Heiji - Harley Hartwell  
Toyama Kazuha - She's not in **Case Closed** yet. For those of you who don't know who Kazuha is, she is Shinichi's Ran to Heiji. Kazuha loves luck charms and always brings one with her and she takes _aikido_. She has known Heiji since she was a child and is his best friend. Although she may not admit it, Kazuha feels strongly for Heiji. So please, if you think Heiji (Harley) likes Ran (Rachel), think again! Heiji is very protective of Kazuha and has a small crush on her.

Oh, and also Kazuha has made a charm for Heiji that he always wears. It's the _omamori_ and it was made from the handcuffs that handcuffed them together when they were little and playing cops. It has created a psychic link between them. Sort of.

* * *

**Lemon Pie Smile**

* * *

One warm afternoon, Ran sighed as she stared at the perfect lighting the sun gave on the buildings outside. The trees were plump in cherry blossoms and waved invitingly at every breeze. The aquamarine sky gleamed with no trace of puffy white clouds, except thin lines extracted from bypassing planes. Inside the Mouri Detective Agency building, Ran heard a _ding!_ from the kitchen, and hurried to the room in a flash. 

"It's finally done!" cried Ran, stuffing her hands into a pair of oven mitts and scurrying frantically to open the oven door. The sweet aroma of pie filled the air as she dragged the pastry from the hot oven confinement, gasping for air as she turned away from the extremely warm aura surrounding the pie. 

Ran brought the pie to the coffee table, where her friends sat there, talking about everyday topics. She set the pie in the center of the table and sank into the couch where Kazuha was sitting. Adjacent to them, Conan and Heiji were giving soft punches to each other and snickering. 

Today was not just a normal, sunny afternoon for the group. Heiji and Kazuha had decided to come visit Tokyo again for the coming of the spring parade and festival. But as usual, someone had been murdered someplace, and Heiji, Conan, and Kogoro had solved the case. (Or more like Heiji solved the case after a few discussions with Conan, and Kogoro was just... there.) Currently, Kogoro was in the Tokyo Police Department discussing some crime issues with Inspector Megure while the rest of the group headed back to the Mouri Detective Agency building, where Ran made a pie to congratulate Heiji (and Kogoro) on their good fortune. 

"Wow, that looks _so_ good!" exclaimed Heiji, rubbing his hands together as soon as he saw the dessert. Quickly, the moment after Ran finished slicing a piece, he snatched it away and consumed it. 

"You trash compactor!" scoffed Kazuha, wagging her finger at Heiji as if Heiji was a small boy. "Have you any manners?" 

"It's all right, Kazuha-chan,"replied Ran, laughing. "I'll give you a thicker slice than Hattori-kun's!" 

"What? No fair!" cried Heiji, eyes wide in surprise, and then glaring at Kazuha. The Osaka girl responded by sticking her tongue at him. 

"It shows to you that the second mouse gets the cheese, Heiji-nii-chan!" joked Conan, cracking up and pointing at the detective of the west as Heiji looked at Conan with rage. His jokingly-foul mood washed away with another bite of the food. 

"This is good,"repeated Heiji with his mouth full, pointing at the yellowish filling inside. "What do you call this?" 

"It's a lemon pie,"said Ran, smiling with sheer pleasure as her friends devoured the pastry bite by bite. Closing her eyes, she added softly,"Shinichi loved lemon pie." 

Her last comment was loud enough for only Conan to hear. Conan stopped munching on his slice and casted an anxious eye on Ran. No matter how many times he had suffered through this stage, it still pained him to see how much he had hurt his best friend. At any moment, Conan wanted to blurt out his secret to Ran, but he kept his mouth shut through Ai's warnings. 

"Ran-chan, what's the matter?" questioned Kazuha, noticing the sudden mood change in her Tokyo friend. 

"Huh?" Ran looked up at her friends. Heiji and Kazuha had also stopped eating their slice of the pie and were staring at her with a concerned expression. 

Ran forced a lemon pie smile on her face and waved her hand. "Oh, oh, it's nothing!" She stood up with that moody tone covering her again, and said quietly,"Please excuse me for a moment." 

After Ran left the room, Conan, Heiji, and Kazuha stared after her. Conan set down his plate. All of the sudden, the pie didn't nearly taste good as it had 5 seconds ago. As Kazuha saw Conan push aside the slice, she followed the suit, placing the remains of the half-eaten slice onto her plate. Only Heiji continued consuming his piece bite by bite. 

"What are you doing?" hissed Kazuha, staring at her best friend in disapproval. "You _know_ Ran-chan's not feeling well!" 

Obviously, Kazuha knew Heiji was concerned about Ran just as much as she was, but he sure didn't act like it. Heiji sighed and called,"Hey, Nee-chan, are you sure you're all right?" 

"Yeah,"responded her voice from a different room. "Don't worry about me. I'm just really tired after today." A small yawn followed her sentence. 

_Liar_, thought Conan. _It's all because of me, isn't it?_

"Don't forget to save some for Otou-san,"she murmured. _Isn't it?_

The last of his words echoed through his mind. 

_Isn't it?_

Heiji and Kazuha exchanged glances. As usual, because of their "psychic link" they didn't need to speak to communicate with each other. Kazuha nodded, and rose up from the couch to join Ran in her room. Conan could tell that Heiji just "told" Kazuha to go talk to Ran to make her feel better. 

"It's about you again, right?" Heiji spoke up the minute after Kazuha exited. 

"Way to go, Sherlock,"grumbled Conan, sarcasm dripping from his tone. He flicked a piece of crust from his pie at Heiji for the emphasis. "Did you just figure that out or did someone help you?" 

Heiji frowned at the slight insult, but stated,"I think Nee-chan ought to get her slice of the truth. Why don't you tell her?" 

"Because I'd be putting Agasa-hakase and Haibara in danger if I told. Not to mention Ran might be killed if the Black Organization found out I was still alive." 

Heiji didn't look concerned. "But I heard that Black Organization lady Vermouth knows your secret. So, might as well let the whole thing out, you know?" 

"You don't understand." Conan's hand balled up into a fist. "I can never let Ran be involved in this. If Gin killed her, I don't know what I'd do." 

Heiji patted Conan's shoulder just like an older brother. "Yeah, but no matter what, Kudo, Nee-chan is always involved in this. She just... doesn't know it. If you don't want her to get hurt, just phone her like you always do." Heiji rubbed his chin. "When was the last time you called?" 

Conan averted his gaze to Heiji, sarcasm still in his voice. "Smart, Hattori. Since when did you act so mature?" 

"Hey, if my friend's feeling sad I have to be there for him." Heiji stopped and looked preoccupied in his cloud of thoughts. "Did I just say that?" 

Conan snickered a little bit. "I'm afraid so, Hattori." He got off the couch and headed towards the entrance of the building. While he was putting on his shoes to go to the nearby phone booth, he stopped and turned to face Heiji. 

A pause. 

"Go, Kudo,"said Heiji firmly. "Go talk to Nee-chan already." 

"Hey, Hattori? Thanks." 

"Not a problem." 

Conan raised his hand in a wave of salutations, and turned to leave. Upon his exit, he ran to the door, faltered, and turned to Heiji again. Heiji was still confused. _Why hasn't Kudo left yet?_

"Hey, Hattori? Got some coins?" 

"That's your problem." 

Conan grumbled as he took a long trip into grabbing some yen before attempting to leave the building again. After taking some extra change in his room, he retreated the the phone booth across the street from the Mouri Detective Agency building. _Stupid Hattori. He's the one urging me to talk to Ran!_

The little boy climbed up to reach the green pay phone as he slid the glass door shut, and pressed a few coins into the awaiting slot. He knew Ran's number by heart, and could feel his heart pounding as his fingers reached the buttons, number by number. 

Conan's fingers trembled as he pulled out his bowtie and switched the voice module to his normal voice settings. 

_Please let this work..._ he mentally pleaded over and over in his mind. 

The dial tone hummed... and hummed... until the awaited sound was to be heard. 

_Click._

"Mouri Detective Agency. How can I be of assistance?"

* * *

Kazuha had finally left the room after a long, girl-to-girl talk about Shinichi. It had made Ran feel a little bit better, but she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. Her grip tightened on a pretty luck charm Kazuha had just given her.

"It's a key,"Kazuha had said with a faint smile pasted on her face. "It represents the troubles of love that one is going through. I'm sure it will work for you. It... sort of worked for me."

The phone suddenly rang, and Ran sprung up, split away from her occupied thoughts. She dashed into the living room, still holding the little key in her fist, and called,"I'll get it!" 

Of course, Heiji and Kazuha would let her answer the phone. After all, Ran kind of _worked_ in the agency as an assistant and a part-time secretary. Kazuha and Heiji stepped out of Ran's way as Ran snatched up the phone and answered with her usual,"Mouri Detective Agency. How can I be of assistance?"

Surprisingly, no one phoned asking for Kogoro's help on a case.

"Hey, Ran." 

It couldn't be. 

Or could it? 

Ran's temples throbbed. "Sh... Shinichi?"

Kazuha's jaw dropped, and turned to eye Heiji. Heiji innocently looked away, shrugging. Kazuha frowned and made a mental note to herself. _Just when Ran-chan becomes sad about Kudo-kun, he calls. I have a feeling that Heiji was involved with this._

Heiji was aware of Kazuha's glaring at him. "What?" 

Meanwhile, in Shinichi and Ran's conversation, Shinichi replied coolly at Ran's questioning voice with,"You dolt, are you this glad to hear my voice? I phoned you a week ago." 

Ran got ahold of herself and bristled at this remark. She managed to clear her throat and yell,"You detective freak! I'm not _that_ glad to see that you phoned me! I'm not like your stupid fangirls!" 

A laugh echoed on the other line. "Now there's the Ran I know and love." 

Then there was silence. Ran finally swallowed and asked,"How... how did you know I wasn't fine?" 

"That little boy Edogawa Conan told me. He's such a cool person. Reminds him of me. He also gave me a piece of your pie. It's delish." 

Ran glowed at the compliment, but frowned deeply. "How come you're so involved with your cases you don't have time for your friends anymore? How come you let Conan-kun visit you while I can't even _see_ you anymore? Do you hate me or something? You could have told me that instead of leaving me to worry!" 

Conan swallowed and gasped, unaware that his voice was being loud. "No. No! Of course not!" He quieted down, and then added softly,"It's just that I'm so busy, and whenever I come to Tokyo, I go on a case as soon as possible, and whenever I'm not, Conan manages to arrive with a reminder that you're... lonely." 

Ran didn't talk. Conan took this chance to continue talking. He bowed his head as his glasses glazed over. "I'm really sorry, Ran. I want to get back to my old life, but that's... somehow... not an option. I hope you understand. Oh, the police wants to talk to me now. Catch you later. Promise you'll be okay?" 

"Promise _you'll_ be okay?" Ran choked in a soothingly quiet voice, repeating the question that was more meaningful to her, with added emphasis toward Shinichi. 

"I swear, Ran. Please don't worry anymore; I promise I'll be fine. I have only one wish for you." 

The karate champion patiently waited for Shinichi's request, and her finger laced around the curly cord of the phone. Outside, Conan could see Ran tense up. He sighed and said,"Conan's been telling me how you're always smiling to hide your troubles. He told me that he's concerned about you, and he wants to see a real smile on your face. A smile to match the pie you baked."

"Real... smile?" echoed Ran, sounding perpetually confused.

Conan nodded, but then remembered that Ran couldn't see him over the phone. He raised his head to see the yellow-tinted sky, and saw the familiar silhouette of Ran nervously fingering the phone cord. "Your lemon pie would be sweeter if you're in a sweet mood. To me, it seems that he's worried about you as much as I am. Keep in touch, and I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Sure." Ran's voice became deep in silence. "Take care." 

After hearing the a _click_ on the other side of the phone, Ran replaced the receiver back onto its stand. Kazuha's key slipped from her fingers and crash-landed on the carpet-lined floor with a thump. The girl sank to the floor, dismayed, as Heiji and Kazuha looked out unsuspectingly at her from behind a wall in the distant hallway.

"Is... Ran-chan going to be fine?" Kazuha managed to ask, wiping an invisible tear with a hand.

Heiji nodded. "She will be. She just needs time to heal. Let's leave her alone for a while."

Without another word to that, the two disappeared from their hiding spot and left poor Ran to cope with her troubles.

_He wants me to smile_, repeated Ran over and over in her mind. She blinked and looked around the room wildly.

"Conan-kun? Conan-kun?" called Ran, now running around the room looking for her "little brother."

"Hattori-kun! Kazuha-chan! Have you seen Conan-kun?" Ran ran up the stairs and burst into Conan's empty room.

"He's missing?" gasped Kazuha, leaping out of the room where she and Heiji were. "That's terrible! Heiji, we have to go look for him!"

Heiji shot a quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. _It's been a few minutes since Kudo had called Nee-chan. He should be home by now!_

"He's not in the house!" cried Kazuha, tossing a pillow off the couch. "Heiji, let's go look outside!"

"Heiji this, Heiji that!" grumbled Heiji, shattered out of his thought bubble. "Make me your indentured servant, why don't you."

Kauha dragged Heiji out of the building, fingers clamped on his ear. "Aho! It's always about you, you, _you_! Think about helping a poor, defenseless boy for a change! He must be scared, being lost in such a cruel world! HURRY UP!"

_I'm going to get you for this, Kudo!_ Heiji continuously rambled.

As soon as Heiji and Kazuha exited the building, a small boy dashed past them in a flash. Kazuha and Heiji stared wide-eyed at the door, amazed at what they saw. Kazuha released her intense grip on her childhood friend's ear and stuck a finger at it.

"Was that my imagination or was that Conan-kun?" queried Kazuha nervously, never seeing the boy run that fast before.

After a few more seconds of standing there, stunned, Kazuha and Heiji retraced the steps of Conan and climbed back into the building, much to the displeasures of Heiji, who was complaining that they shouldn't have wasted time to go out to look for the boy. 

Or maybe it was because he already knew Conan's coordinates and was too lazy to go to him. The world may never know.

* * *

"Ran-nee-chan! I'm home!" called Conan, bouncing into the house with as much joy as he could muster. 

"Conan-kun!" Ran practically screamed, leaping off the stairs and running to embrace the small boy. "I was so worried! Where have you been?" 

Conan stepped backwards, shocked for almost giving Ran a hernia. "I'm sorry." 

Ran pulled away from him, daintily placing a smile mixed with relief on her face. "That's okay. You're home, and that's what matters, right?" 

"Right!" agreed Conan, chiming in. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a bag of candy. "Ran-nee-chan, I got you this because you looked extraordinarily sad today." 

Ran accepted the bag, unaware her relived smile became her normal, beautifully spunky ones. Without her noticing, it became a happy lemon pie smile, not like her fake ones she usually wore around the house. "Why, thank you, Conan-kun! That was very sweet of you! You're so sweet!" 

_Thank you, Ran. It just shows to me that if you're really happy, then I am too._

_Thank you for making my wish come true_. 


End file.
